Operationalising learning from rare events: framework for middle humanitarian operations managers

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the learning from rare events and the knowledge management processinvolved, which presents a significant challenge to many organizations. This is primarily attributed to the inability tointerpret these events in a systematic and “rich” manner, which this paper seeks to address. We start by summarizing therelevant literature on humanitarian operations management (HOM), outlining the evolution of the socio-technical disasterlifecycle and its relationship with humanitarian operations, using a supply chain resilience theoretical lens. We then out-line theories of organizational learning (and unlearning) from disasters and the impact on humanitarian operations. Subse-quently, we theorize the role of middle managers in humanitarian operations, which is the main focus of our paper. Themain methodology incorporates a hybrid of two techniques for root cause analysis, applied to two related case studies.The cases were specifically selected as, despite occurring twenty years apart, there are many similarities in the chain ofcausation and supporting factors, potentially suggesting that adequate learning from experience and failures is not occur-ring. This provides a novel learning experience within the HOM paradigm. Hence, the proposed approach is based on amultilevel structure that facilitates the operationalization of learning from rare events in humanitarian operations. Theresults show that we are able to provide an environment for multiple interpretations and effective learning, with emphasison middle managers within a humanitarian operations and crisis/disaster management context

AN INTEGRATED MULTI-MODEL OPTIMIZATION AND FUZZY AHP FOR SHELTER SITE SELECTION AND EVACUATION PLANNING

Due to an increasing severity of recent disasters, shelter site selection and evacuation planning have become an essential function for the purpose of helping at-risk persons to avoid or recover from the effect of a disaster. Therefore, this study aims to propose an integrated mathematical optimization and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process for shelter site selection and evacuation planning. The mathematical models are formulated under different constraints and model types, in which the objective of each mathematical model is to minimize the total travel distance. The mathematical models are coded and run in optimizer tool for creating plans. Then, Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process is applied to choose the appropriate plan under uncertainty and vagueness of the expert\u27s opinion. A numerical example with a real case study of a Banta municipality in Thailand is given to demonstrate the application of our conceptual model. This study will be great significance in helping decision makers consider placement of emergency shelters and evacuation planning with respect to both qualitative and quantitative measurement. Moreover, our study can be a guide of the methodology to be implemented to other problems as well

The application of multi-criteria decision analysis methods into talent identification process: a social psychological perspective

This case study offers a new insight into application of multiple-criteria decision-making methods (MCDM) to social identity issues in the context of talent management. This study used MCDM to help a high-tech company to identify potential talents in its sale and marketing team (n = 54). MCDM adjusted subjective information consisted of intangible organisational political issues into a transparent, objective benchmark. The transparency and consistency of this evaluation process reduced potential social identity disruption between individuals or groups. Furthermore, the involvement of multiple decision-makers (both managers and employees) in the talent identification procedure enhanced employees' motivation for further development